[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Congratulations Karthik! Took a while to complete reading through the whole review, but worth the time indeed. Simply one of the best ownership reviews we have on Team-bhp! Thank you

I particularly liked the last line of the review – Turbo diesel for the weekdays and turbo petrol for the weekend. Nice

Drive safe, and keep updating the threads (this one, and the T-Jet).

Thanks a lot vb-san, really glad to know you enjoyed reading it . Thanks also for the help on the 'what car' thread. Will keep both threads updated.

Originally Posted by Nissan1180

Congratulations on your purchase Sir!
This was indeed a remarkable review, and I really wish Fiat India Limited considers the points mentioned here seriously. Punto is an underrated car simply because Indians won't approve of the company.
Even with so many hatchbacks in the market today, it's difficult to spot any car which has a character- most of them sell because of the manufacturer's goodwill or the useless electronics they come with. Fiat has consistently delivered quality products which only a few can truly appreciate.
I wish you many happy years with this beauty.

True. I would so like to agree with you. The Indian consumer's psyche always takes a no-risk approach, and these 'risky' companies have brought on that reputation by their own deeds in the past. Hopefully that changes in the coming years. I already see a huge improvement over where they were 5 years ago, at least in terms of servicing in Bangalore.

Originally Posted by KkVaidya

I agree to you on the chrome exhaust tip. How can FIAT even think of selling this as an OEM

100% agree. I am more concerned about it getting hit in the event of a bumper-kiss in traffic.

Also I find the Mud guards too shoddy and ill-fitting. Just look at the fitting & attention-to-detail given on the mudflaps of its rival VW Polo! I mean even a Maruti Alto comes with better looking & fitting mud-guards!

the mud flaps are of crappy quality. The only things good about them -
1. They don't rattle, they are secured well with 3 screws (at least till now)
2. They are a bit long, and prevent mud from splashing onto my car sides, and other traffic following.

They are ugly though. Point noted. I'll try to see if I can get the contoured splash guards that come with the Absolute pack.

Originally Posted by mkpiyengar

Fantastic review kartik..
Some points to few things FIAT needs to address immediately:

1. Provide proper Pre-Sales experience, in terms of enthusiastic sales person who really with to sell the car highlighting the features.

True. I believe this will change as soon as they get out of the Tata dealerships and open their own. I never somehow liked the idea of a premium Italian car getting sold alongside a 3L clatterbox Indicab taxi. That aside, Tata staff were almost always trying to promote their own cars and discourage buyers from going towards Fiat.

They need to position themselves as a premium car manufacturer who makes the likes of Ferrari, Alfa romeo, etc and participates in Formula 1. People still have the image of a Premier Padmini (with its associated problems) in mind when someone says the word 'Fiat'.

2. Handle the Service appropriately. This alone will take care of lot of issues. Basically, FIAT makes good cars, but that alone will not be enough unless you know someone would take care of it. Not everyone can handle a FIAT unless he knows what he is doing, Maruti/Honda for e.g. are much easier to take care.

Being a FIAT Owner my self I sometimes am just not convinced to use it as a daily car, for the fear that if something happens mid way to office or at night what will happen? Not that they are bad cars ? But even if the service center person comes to inspect the car, can I trust him to solve the problem and not screw up..

+1. They need to consistently delivery good service experience, all through the country. I don't agree with the last part, because for me Fiat has been better than the other 2 companies in terms of service experience. While Maruti staff weren't exactly great in quality of service, Hyundai servicing was more or less average, but that's my experience. On the Fiats, the car (considering the T-Jet since that is 1.5 years old) is superbly built (I never faced any niggles ever), the servicing staff are very accommodative and helpful, not to forget knowledgeable as well, so I had the confidence to plonk my money in another Fiat.

Your point is perfectly valid when viewed from a countrywide perspective. There are a lot of errant dealers in other regions who are ruining the customer experience by not stocking parts, not being able to correct niggles, etc. It is time for them to pull up their socks and concentrate on this servicing aspect rather than on new car launches. Hope they get it right this time when they go independent.

Originally Posted by Rufus_M

@ KarthikK, did you check this in other cars also while doing PDI? I feel the spare tyre with 195/60 R15 size must have been exchanged with some other active/dynamic version tyre.

When I got my 90HP in August 2011, it came with 195/60 R15 spare tyre. If you take this up with Fiat, you may get a exchange with the right size.

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

Nopes.

Post April 2012, all Puntos come with a 165 section 14 inch as spare.

Its purely a cost saving measure by Fiat.

@Rufus_m - I checked in all the sport Puntos which were in the yard (there were 5 in total). All Punto Sport(s) had 165/80R14 JK Tornados with black steel wheels for the spare wheel.

A small correction @DRIV3R. I agree with it being a cost saving measure, but I have checked almost 10-11 cars of all variants of Puntos.

Punto Emotions that I saw came with 195/60R15 spare wheel (same apollo accelere) but they had black steel wheel, not alloy. Size was the bigger one though. I'm not sure I agree with the post - April 2012 thing either. I checked the VIN of these 75HP Puntos and some of them were made in June, July and August as well. All of the 75HP Puntos that I saw had 195/60R15 spares.

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

Hi Karthik, since we are on the topic of Spoilers, here is a little pictorial of what I did to the OEM one. (I do not like drilling holes on her, did not even do it for the license plates)

Please refer the Part number and the MRP in the below pic:

Attachment 1017509

This is how the spoiler looks, unpainted, two screws [metal] and two place-holders [fibre], and a bit of 3M double-sided tape. [Red bits]

The roll you see nearby is the 3M double-sided tape I purchased, it costed around 400INR. Very useful, stuck both the number plates with those, and now the spoiler.

Attachment 1017510

This is how the spoiler looked after I gave my dose of 3M tape to hold the spoiler.

Attachment 1017511

After which, I shaved off the screws and the place-holders, and got it painted.

Attachment 1017512

Then, just peel the stickers, aim and stick it up.

wish I could have thanked you multiple times for this informative post man. Fantastic stuff. I'll get to this next weekend and get the OEM one, thanks again.

Originally Posted by guyfrmblr

Brilliant Review Karthik. I'm in loss of words. I'm dedicating the entire day tomorrow to read your ownership report in detail. The Red Rocket looks stunning. Eagerly waiting to see your red rocket take off on Sunday during our meet. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful detailed report.

Thanks a lot vinay! Glad to know you liked it. Eagerly awaiting the Korean/Italian photoshoot on sunday

Originally Posted by gopikb

Karthik, A great review and congrats on your purchase. You definitely have the most beautiful twins in your garage. Given that you have both Linea and the Punto, I want to ask you a question. With regard to highway drive ability in terms of ride, handling, body roll and high speed composure, I know Linea is definitely better than the Punto any day. But just comparing the two, does Punto give a close competition to the Linea or do you think Linea is in a different league completely.

Thanks a lot Gopi!
coming to your questions - The Punto feels more or less similar to the Linea, and it is hard to make out the difference unless you drive a t-jet, and switch back to Punto and closely observe the differences. In other words, you have to 'search' for the differences.

in terms of :
highway ride quality : t-Jet is flawless (I don't know about the older / newer Lineas since they don't have the same suspension setup as T-Jet) and very plush. If you suddenly switch to a Punto and compare, it feels a little bouncy, but not all that noticeable.

Handling and body roll : t-jet again scores here. Punto is excellent, but t-jet feels even better to handle around corners. If I were to give a comparison in rating: Lets say t-jet is the benchmark and gets 10/10 for handling, Punto will come somewhere around 8-8.5/10. If I bring in other cars here, they will probably rank at 5 or 6 (barring Figo which might get 8), so Punto is the next best thing after Linea.

Body roll - slight body roll can be felt in the Punto. This could be because they have done that ground clearance alteration in the 2012 version, so I'll need to check with a pre-2012 version Punto also. With the t-jet I can hardly feel any roll at all. Absolutely zero perceptible.

High speed composure - both feel very good. I still favour the Linea here since it sits a little lower and is a true-blue composed sedan.

In summary, the differences are not very perceptible and both are very, very similar. You can only tell the difference if you drive a Punto and then drive a Linea immediately after that. The difference is there, but its very subtle and not considerable. At least not considerable enough to make you look up and take notice. If I give an overall rating of 10/10 for a Linea, Punto will end up getting a 9/10 on my scale.

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

Wonderful!

You have worn the boxing gloves whenever some bashing was needed and held a paint brush wherever the need arised to portray this beautiful machine.
This is what is called "detailed and unbiased".
Why are not writing in any auto magazines? Or may be that is exactly the reason why you are not

The hate SMS at the beginning and "what I thought, what people thought, what atually was..." set the tone for a beautiful report.
Voted 5 stars (had written *****, but looked offensive LOL!)

Thanks a lot Hemanth! Glad to know you liked it.

Its not a storage space at all IMO, its a mere handle for us to pull out that plastic piece to access the OBDII port and the fuse box

Strange. Very strange. Thanks for informing this useful bit of information. I'm surprised that this looks like a useless storage area rather than a dashboard panel removal handle. Perhaps they need to take a lesson or two out of Hyundai's books to see how such things can be concealed from the end user.

First person I've found saying this. Hope you've got plain human eyes *grinning green fella* (courtesy IRONH4WK)
Although I've got used to driving with this A-Pillar, don't think it is "not too wide"
I've missed autorickshaws behind these pillar a couple of times.

In fact, no. I still find the A-pillar quite narrow and not hindering too much of visibility. Now that you brought this topic up, I am guessing it has something to do with my seating position as well. I push the seat back quite a bit and from that position, the A-pillar does not hinder any visibility.

If you were unable to spot an autorickshaw in the mirror!, my guess if you sit closer to the A-pillar and steering, and so the A-pillar is doing some more vision blocking for you, perhaps?

As far as the OE spoilers are concerned, you can see it in flesh when we meet!

The 3M treatment that you got for your mirrors are very good I must say.
I thought about it but after more than 2 years in Bangalore, my car has way too many scratches to be "protecting" anything
The other day when I was in 3M, a guy was getting it done for the entire car for just 45K...yes you heard it right Rs 45000/- (Of course that car was a Range Rover Evoque)

Looking forward to seeing the OE spoilers.
Oh yeah, after 2 years, it seems a somewhat futile task isn't it? Hehe.

In this detailed review I'm astonished to see that you've missed the fool-proofing done for the rear seat belts.
In case you don't know about this, each sealtbelt latch locks only with its lock.

True. I have missed mentioning this, forgotten during the review-writing time. This feature was present in the Linea as well. Lets see if I can get to edit the post again with some help.

All the best with your new latest rocket.
My T-jet Abarth is eagerly looking forward to meet both of your jets

Thanks again. Looking forward to the photoshoot with your Abarth Punto.

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Strange. Very strange. Thanks for informing this useful bit of information. I'm surprised that this looks like a useless storage area rather than a dashboard panel removal handle. Perhaps they need to take a lesson or two out of Hyundai's books to see how such things can be concealed from the end user

You got me wrong here. I wanted to reiterate that it is an useless storage area (in the manual its written as "oddment compartment")
But I see it as a handle. that's why I had written IMO (In My Opinion); probably I should stop my newfound practice of writing abbreviations

In fact, no. I still find the A-pillar quite narrow and not hindering too much of visibility. Now that you brought this topic up, I am guessing it has something to do with my seating position as well. I push the seat back quite a bit and from that position, the A-pillar does not hinder any visibility.

If you were unable to spot an autorickshaw in the mirror!, my guess if you sit closer to the A-pillar and steering, and so the A-pillar is doing some more vision blocking for you, perhaps?

Probably yes...I'm atleast 6 inches shorter than you and so sit closer to the wheel. Also since mine is a Petrol Emotion(current day Dynamic) there is no seat height adjuster.

Lets see if I can get to edit the post again with some help.

If you do get a chance to edit it, include the photo of the "fuel tank lid opening string" provided in the boot which is there just in case of failure of the driver side opening mechanism.
That should make your report exhaustive

[tckanth]

A Superbly detailed post.
Karthik, your attention to details is amazing dude. I think this is the first time I've actually seen anyone mention about everything in such fine detail right from the indicators to the key hole and the inconsistent panel gaps to the ORVM paint protection.

I have some small queries - hope you don't mind me asking.

- Did you get a chance to test the top speed - the speedo is marked till 220, this is the max I've seen on a diesel hatch.
- Any reason you can't alter / remove the chrome exhaust tip?
- I would've loved if the decals covered the door handles (one straight line) too instead of chrome
- the power socket is rated at 180W is it specific to Sports edition or does all the cars get it at 180w
- I really like the way Fiat (I hope its not aftermarket) covered the backside of the rear seats (to avoid any damage to the seats when folded completely down). Is it metal or plastic? do you have it in other variants also?


I would love to see your car in person, unfortunately I cant make it to the meet this weekend.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Disclaimer : I am in no way responsible if your browser crashes due to the large number of pictures in this thread. Scroll ahead at your own risk.

Hi Kartik, I saw you and your car yesterday while I was riding(I was on my Blue-black Pulsar 180) to my office in Whitefield. Just the day before I had gone through your thread and pictures. Now a red Punto Sport, with a LTD sticker, can it be a coincidence? Yes it was....


Must say your car looks awesome in person. Red Puntos have always captured my attention, now with those black decals and a strikingly shining car at that, a droolworthy combination.

Wishing you many happy miles with it and hope that your car always gleams the same way that it did yesterday.

[nkrishnap]

The absolute pack splash guards costs 900 bucks. Though it looks good not sure how much of splashing it can stop when driven in wet conditions.

[IronH4WK]

awesome dude! congrats on your new ride! like v12's Xylo thread, yours is also like a in-depth car review thread for the Punto Sport!

now i know why it took you so long to write it up

[sourav21]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

I am just worried about the warranty going bust if something happens. With a tuning box, I can still disconnect it while giving it for service, and no one will come to know. Also, what happens if the OBD detects changed map values on the ECU?? Any thoughts on this? How does the tuner backup the OEM values? just curious to know. Does he store it with him?

The box is easy plug and play but knowing the way it works, I was hesitant to put it in the car. About detecting map changes, I doubt the service station guys are competent enough to detect map value changes. By the way, T-O-T does a bench flash and not through the OBD - read the requisite files and write modified values. This apparently bypasses the ecu flashing counter. Also they would warn on what changes could realistically be detected by the service station - for example EGR deletion. The stock map is kept by the tuner and can be put back any time. I guess you could also probably request for a copy.

[dass]

Karthik,

I have read many a reviews on this forum, but had never rated any with a full 5 star, yours is the first one I was compelled to rate it with a well deserved 5 stars. This for me, was more detailed than any of the other ownership or the test drive reports and I dont mean any offence to others. From a purely personal opinion, this is the best I have read so far. Great work man!!!

Congrats a hot hatch. I am not a big fan of punto as the looks dont really appeal to me, but your thread got me hooked on and I now have this as one of the options.

Cheers

[carlosTHEjackal]

One of the best ownership reviews in the forum. This will surely tilt the decision towards Punto for those who have shortlisted during their shopping.

Very comprehensive and detailed review. This thread does deserve 5 star rating for the sheer amount of details on the hatch.

Your passion for the FIAT brand and their cars have been innocuously scripted in this thread.

[vvmanoj]

Originally Posted by tckanth

A Superbly detailed post.
- I really like the way Fiat (I hope its not aftermarket) covered the backside of the rear seats (to avoid any damage to the seats when folded completely down). Is it metal or plastic? do you have it in other variants also?
.

Its more for safety than aesthetics. Its metal and even the Palio had this. Its there to prevent entry of boot contents entering into the cabin in the event of a crash.

[thesilentone]

Hi Karthik. This is one incredible review. I wonder if even Fiat can come up with such photographs and details about their own product. If the sales picks up, they should know whom to acknowledge

[prateekswarup]

Hi Karthik!

A superbly detailed review of the hottest hatch in the country! Kudos! The level of detail is mind boggling...

I especially liked the detailed interior review w.r.t to the fit and finish of the light gray plastics and assembly. Have been constantly reading about the inferior quality of the interiors, but your post has given very detailed information on what to look for!

Everytime I think I am over with my obsession with FIAT, along comes a review that makes you go back and drool at the showroom!

Keep the thread alive with A.S.S and other stuff. Your ownership updates might just make me take the plunge.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

You got me wrong here. I wanted to reiterate that it is an useless storage area (in the manual its written as "oddment compartment")
But I see it as a handle. that's why I had written IMO (In My Opinion); probably I should stop my newfound practice of writing abbreviations

in that case my bashing holds good, considering its mentioned as a compartment in the owner's manual.

Probably yes...I'm atleast 6 inches shorter than you and so sit closer to the wheel. Also since mine is a Petrol Emotion(current day Dynamic) there is no seat height adjuster.

Ah. This could be part of the reason for that A-pillar difference in opinion.

If you do get a chance to edit it, include the photo of the "fuel tank lid opening string" provided in the boot which is there just in case of failure of the driver side opening mechanism.
That should make your report exhaustive

Super Thanks for bringing this up. I don't think I can edit that post once again and attach pictures. I'll take a snap separately and perhaps ask the mods to merge it on the front page with the rest of the snaps.

Originally Posted by tckanth

A Superbly detailed post.
Karthik, your attention to details is amazing dude. I think this is the first time I've actually seen anyone mention about everything in such fine detail right from the indicators to the key hole and the inconsistent panel gaps to the ORVM paint protection.

Thanks tckanth, glad you liked reading it.

I have some small queries - hope you don't mind me asking.

not at all!

- Did you get a chance to test the top speed - the speedo is marked till 220, this is the max I've seen on a diesel hatch.

Nope. Haven't tried it, and don't intend to try either . The same speedo console is shared with the European Puntos (which come with T-Jet engine options) and that's why the optimistic marking till 220 kmph, I think, since those T-Jet Puntos are well capable of crossing the double century mark. The true top speed of this diesel car lies somewhere around 180 kmph. In fact, even if you observe the tachometer, it is optimistically marked all the way till 7k rpm *lol*. How they expect a diesel to redline at 7k rpm is something only Fiat knows, hehe. This is another effect of using the same instrument console for petrols/diesels.

- Any reason you can't alter / remove the chrome exhaust tip?

I'll need to explore that option.

- I would've loved if the decals covered the door handles (one straight line) too instead of chrome

True. Good idea of yours. Perhaps Fiat will take action to bring this in the next version. They could have given black gloss handles to go with the whole black theme, isn't it?

- the power socket is rated at 180W is it specific to Sports edition or does all the cars get it at 180w

Its the same power socket in all the versions.

- I really like the way Fiat (I hope its not aftermarket) covered the backside of the rear seats (to avoid any damage to the seats when folded completely down). Is it metal or plastic? do you have it in other variants also?

Already answered by another member earlier I guess, so I have nothing more to say here.

I would love to see your car in person, unfortunately I cant make it to the meet this weekend.

I thought you were coming for the flag-off, hehe. See you tomorrow morning.

Originally Posted by ashis89

Hi Kartik, I saw you and your car yesterday while I was riding(I was on my Blue-black Pulsar 180) to my office in Whitefield. Just the day before I had gone through your thread and pictures. Now a red Punto Sport, with a LTD sticker, can it be a coincidence? Yes it was....

Hey ashis89, nice to know that I was spotted by a BHPian. You should have just flashed your lights or honked and I would have been glad to pull over and have a quick chit-chat. I was on my way to office (in ITPL) too.
Hey wait a minute, I have the "got bhp?" sticker, not the "Live to Drive". You still sure it was me you saw?

Must say your car looks awesome in person. Red Puntos have always captured my attention, now with those black decals and a strikingly shining car at that, a droolworthy combination.

Wishing you many happy miles with it and hope that your car always gleams the same way that it did yesterday.

Thank you so much for the wishes!

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

The absolute pack splash guards costs 900 bucks. Though it looks good not sure how much of splashing it can stop when driven in wet conditions.

This is my worry too. Karthik SP at Prerana also was saying the same thing. They look good though.

Originally Posted by IronH4WK

awesome dude! congrats on your new ride! like v12's Xylo thread, yours is also like a in-depth car review thread for the Punto Sport!

now i know why it took you so long to write it up

Thanks a lot H4wk! Now where's your assembly line product? Title was finished, how about the content? Finish it, I say!

Originally Posted by sourav21

The box is easy plug and play but knowing the way it works, I was hesitant to put it in the car. About detecting map changes, I doubt the service station guys are competent enough to detect map value changes. By the way, T-O-T does a bench flash and not through the OBD - read the requisite files and write modified values. This apparently bypasses the ecu flashing counter. Also they would warn on what changes could realistically be detected by the service station - for example EGR deletion. The stock map is kept by the tuner and can be put back any time. I guess you could also probably request for a copy.

Thanks for the information sourav. Appreciate it. I'll PM you for more further details about these guys.

Originally Posted by dass

Karthik,

I have read many a reviews on this forum, but had never rated any with a full 5 star, yours is the first one I was compelled to rate it with a well deserved 5 stars. This for me, was more detailed than any of the other ownership or the test drive reports and I dont mean any offence to others. From a purely personal opinion, this is the best I have read so far. Great work man!!!

Congrats a hot hatch. I am not a big fan of punto as the looks dont really appeal to me, but your thread got me hooked on and I now have this as one of the options.

Thanks dass. Really elated to hear your opinion about this review. If it has helped someone in some way, I'm glad my thread has been put to good use.
Good luck in your hot-hatch-hunting!

Originally Posted by carlosTHEjackal

One of the best ownership reviews in the forum. This will surely tilt the decision towards Punto for those who have shortlisted during their shopping.

Very comprehensive and detailed review. This thread does deserve 5 star rating for the sheer amount of details on the hatch.

Thanks a ton carlosTHEjackal! Glad to know you enjoyed reading the nitty-gritties.

The official review thread for the Punto was one of the first official ones, was outdated (2009) and didn't cover as many fine details as the newer official reviews. Also, there was no official review for the Punto 90HP and not many details on how it differed from the Punto Emotion 75HP. I'm not sure why it (official review of 90HP) was never done since 2 years, in spite of it being an enthusiast-centric car.

I wanted to include as many details as possible to help other fellow-enthusiasts who were considering this car, and/or looking for the finer differences between the 75HP and 90HP versions.

If my thread was helpful in whatsoever manner to prospective hatchback customers in decision-making, well and good. My thread has served its purpose.

Originally Posted by thesilentone

Hi Karthik. This is one incredible review. I wonder if even Fiat can come up with such photographs and details about their own product. If the sales picks up, they should know whom to acknowledge

Thanks a lot thesilentone!

Originally Posted by prateekswarup

Hi Karthik!

A superbly detailed review of the hottest hatch in the country! Kudos! The level of detail is mind boggling...

I especially liked the detailed interior review w.r.t to the fit and finish of the light gray plastics and assembly. Have been constantly reading about the inferior quality of the interiors, but your post has given very detailed information on what to look for!

Everytime I think I am over with my obsession with FIAT, along comes a review that makes you go back and drool at the showroom!

Keep the thread alive with A.S.S and other stuff. Your ownership updates might just make me take the plunge.

Thanks a lot prateekswarup! Really glad to know you found the interior details useful. May the best hatchback for your requirements win the battle for you! Good luck in your search!

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Hey ashis89, nice to know that I was spotted by a BHPian. You should have just flashed your lights or honked and I would have been glad to pull over and have a quick chit-chat. I was on my way to office (in ITPL) too.
Hey wait a minute, I have the "got bhp?" sticker, not the "Live to Drive". You still sure it was me you saw?

I may be mistaken about the sticker, I just remember to be a TBhp sticker. But isn't your car's reg.no 1176? Also as far as I remember probably you were in a green tee and had your shades on. Was that you or am I mistaken? If so then I am sorry.

[srinath34]

I read your entire review for the second time. It's so intriguing. The pics are super cool as well. Would really love to see your car in person. Unfortunately I cannot make it to the meet tomorrow but there's always a next time.

Keep it spooling (don't think revving is an apt word for diesels) buddy!!!